


We'll Meet Again (inactive)

by IamTHEred



Category: Wolverine (Movies), Wolverine and the X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Seduction, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-22 06:15:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15575580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamTHEred/pseuds/IamTHEred
Summary: A chance meeting in Logan's past damns a young woman to a life she couldn't escape. The professor thinks that she has a chance of redemption but she knows she's just a monster.This work is currently inactive please let me know if you want me to continue this





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so here's another Original Character style fic for you.
> 
> No reader insert here, better to view this one from the third person.
> 
> This takes place in the original timeline after x-men days of future past so the academy is up and running and the x-men are all alive and well.
> 
> I consider the timeline of young Xavier etc to be a split universe so don't expect any of that stuff to take place.
> 
> There's smut throughout (even in the first chapter) and a few triggering areas so keep an eye on the notes I'll try and remember to give you warning.

**June 1944 - London ******

********

It was her smile.  
It was rare anyone could resist it and he was no exception.  
She stood at the bar in a knee length red dress, hair dark hair in curls like every other woman giggling with the soldiers. Unlike them she’d daringly gone without stockings not even a line drawn up her shapely calves to pretend. She was part of the background until she smiled. Her painted lips promised the softest kisses and her dark honey eyes glittered with mischief.  
He was sat with the other men, laughing and drinking, but his eyes were drawn to her. His breath caught when he glance over for the twentieth time and she met his gaze with that smile.  
He got up without a word to approach her. She turned back to the bar she leant against and lifted her drink to her lips.  
“Evening Miss.” He said pushing to lean next to her.  
“Good Evening.” She replied, her voice was like silk and made his adam's apple bob. He’d always loved an English accent.  
“Can I get you a drink?”  
“Sure, whiskey please.” She replied and turned her eyes to him. He ordered two shots of whiskey and handed one to her. Her finger grazed him as she took it.  
“Whats your name?” He asked as she slipped the amber liquid.  
“Evelyn.” She said, turning to him, eyebrows raised. She offered her hand.  
“James Howlett.” He said taking it, he didn’t want to let go.  
“You don’t sound like the other GI’s, James. Where are you from?” She let him keep her hand, seeming to relish his rough fingers.  
“Canada.” He replied and noted the skin around her eyes crinkle lightly in amusement.  
“Well, It’s nice to meet you, James Howlett from Canada.” She said, she pulled lightly on her hand and he released it reluctantly. Her eyes ran over him and suddenly the tan shirt he wore seemed too small. “You here long?” She asked, her eyes returning to rest on his face. Taking in the stubble there and meeting his dark eyes.  
“On leave. Shipping out next week.” He said taking a gulp of his drink.  
“Hmmm.” She hummed.  
“You here with friends?” He asked.  
“No, just me. Got tired of the quiet, wanted some life around me.” She looked around the bar. He noticed that anyone who saw her returned her smile, men and women.  
“Too quiet? What are you, a nun?” He joked and her smile widened, dimples forming.  
“Close. You could say I wanted to walk on the wild side, just once.” She turned her body to him, close enough to feel her breath. “Are you wild, James?” She whisper conspiratorially. He swallowed hard. The world fell away but for that smile.  
“I can be.” He replied.  
“Want to dance?” She asked, stepping back a half step. The radio was on and seemed to return along with the noise of the bar. He nodded and she stepped away from the bar. A few couples were dancing and she walked amongst them, he followed as if in a dream and she wrapped her dainty arms around his neck. He automatically raised his hands to her slim waist as one song finished and another began.  
“We’ll meet again.” She whispered along with the iconic song. A song he’d never hear again without thinking of her. “Don’t know where, don’t know when.”  
They swayed to the music and he felt himself smiling with her.  
“But I know we’ll meet again.” She breathed and he knew he wanted to kiss her.  
She was more nimble than him and subtly shifted closer, raised her face to his.  
He closed the distance without thinking and pressed against her soft lips with his own. She didn’t pull away, he could even feel her smile against him.  
When the kiss ended they danced for two more songs before she led him back to the bar. She finished her drink and looked up at him.  
She took his hand and led him out of the bar, he noticed his buddies looking on, open mouthed as he grinned at them.  
In the dark, rain slick street her skin seemed to glow. She led him to the shadows and turned on her heel so gracefully he was convinced she must be a dancer.  
He opened his mouth to speak to suggest a destination when her lips met his. His heartbeat quickened as she tugged on his tie, encouraging him to slip his arms around her.  
No woman had ever been so forward with him, her body melted against his and she sighed into him as his hands explored her back. She deepened the kiss inside her mouth he groaned at the taste of whiskey on her tounge and the smell of her perfume. He could feel his body reacting to her and something in him made him pull back.  
“Wait!” He said, panting slightly, his hands resting lightly on her hips. “I don’t know anything about you!”  
“Do you need to?” She replied, her voice husky.  
“Yes!” He replied.  
“I’m an angel come to play.” She said and he could hear her smile in her words. “Just an angel, gone tomorrow.”  
“An angel?” He said and felt her nod.  
“Just for you.” She whispered and raised her lips to his again. “Just for tonight.”  
He gave in and kissed her again. She allowed it for a moment before wheeling away. He reached for her and she caught his hand and started running.  
He marveled at her as they ran through the shadows, every so often she was lit by a beam of light from the covered windows around them. He ran behind her, a grin plastered on his face when at last she turned them into a park.  
He could smell the damp earth under foot as she slowed and led him though the grass. She stopped and he could hear her take a deep breath.  
“I’ll miss the summer here.” She whispered, turning to him. There were stood under some trees away from the path, the leaves fluttered in the breeze.  
She kissed him again pulling him against her and again twisted her tongue with his. He lost control and pushed her against the trunk of the chestnut tree behind her. She didn’t resist and he growled when she lifted her left leg to hook on his hip and draw him closer so the growing need in his groin could rub against her.  
He pulled back and looked into her darkening eyes, could only see the glimmer of starlight in them. She grabbed his hand gently and slid it up her raised thigh, under her skirt.  
He leant over her running hot kisses down her neck as his hand slid higher to the edge of her underwear. He could hear her panting as her hand left his to run over his back.  
Her other hand slid down his chest to the buckle of his belt and slid under the waistband of his slacks. He nipped at her skin as her hand grazed him. He pulled her hand out and undid the belt himself, the zipper and button followed.  
He pressed her against the tree again and to his delight she reached up and caught a branch, pulling herself up so she could wrap both legs around him.  
He pushed aside her damp underwear and slid inside her. Her breath caught and he lifted his face from her neck to ask if she was alright. She caught his lips with hers before he could and arched her back, ler legs pulling him closer.  
He began to thrust into her slowly and she moaned into his mouth, he ran his fingers through her hair and was lost on the taste and feel of her.  
She grabbed at his back, pulling, encouraging him to go faster. She nipped at his lower lip and he lost control, pounding against her hips hard enough to bruise but she didn’t stop him. She rolled her hips down and he could feel his thrusts getting uneven.  
“Don’t stop.” She muttered as he chased his release.  
He muttered a curse as he came and fell against her. She kissed his neck tenderly and lowered one shaking leg to the ground as he withdrew from her.  
They stood in the darkness for a moment, kissing gently until he felt strong enough to move.  
“Evelyn, I-” He started and she touched his lips with her fingers.  
“Hush. “ She whispered and helped him put himself back to rights.  
She led him back to the street, slowly this time, holding his hand like a lover would. She hummed as she walked, the same tune they’d danced to. He was intoxicated by her, the feel of her hand the taste of her still on his tounge and the smell of her still on his clothes. He didn’t realise until it was too late that she’d led him back to the bar. He could hear the muffled cacophony from within, a bell ringing.  
“Last orders.” She said. He could see her more clearly in the light thrown from the badly covered bar windows. He pulled her back into his arms and kissed her tenderly.  
“You are an angel.” He said when they broke the kiss. He noticed her lipstick was gone, he’d kissed it away, and the warm pink sheen of them was even more inviting. She smiled and met his eyes and all the words in him retreaded.  
“I am, so let me fly away soldier.” She said, stepping back.  
“When this is all over, can I see you again?” He asked and the warmth in her eyes filled him up.  
“Come find me, James Howlett from Canada.” She stepped away and let go of his hand. “I’ll be waiting.”  
He watched her go until he couldn’t even hear her footsteps.


	2. A voice in the dark

**September 2015 - Westchester, New York ******

********

Logan leant against the railing in the failing light and took a long draw on his cigar.  
“I do wish you wouldn’t smoke.” A voice behind him. Logan smiled around the cylinder gripped in his teeth. He’d heard the wheels of the Professor's chair coming towards him. He stubs out the embers on the railing and pockets it before turning.  
“Yeah well, we can’t all get what we want.” He said and the Professor shook his head.  
“Jean says she’s found something that might interest you.”  
“Oh?”  
“A facility in Germany. Looks like they were connected to Stryker in some way.”  
Logan follows the Professor down the hall to the elevator.  
“Stryker? Didn’t think I’d hear that name again.” He says, stepping inside the metal box after the wheelchair bound telepath.  
“We’ve been looking out for anyone conducting experiments like his, ever since Alkali Lake.” He explains over the humm as they descend.  
“And you didn’t tell me because?”  
“We didn’t find anything until now.”  
Logan runs his hand over his face, the mental scars caused by William Stryker and his sadistic experiments had faded but they’d always be with him. With the Professors help he was piecing together his life before that but it was patchy.  
When the doors open they move through a wide metal hall and into a laboratory. Jean stands over a computer with Scott behind her. She smiles at him but its not in him to return it, not with Cyclops right behind her.  
“Logan. Come here.” She says and steps back so he can see the screen.  
There’s a photo of a bunker door on screen with some faded text painted above it. It’s just a string of numbers and letters. Next to the image is a scan of a faded page of writing in german. The translation software had overlaid english on top.  
“Temptress.” Logan says, reading the top line to himself. It’s part of a study on someone, seemingly a young woman, who was experimented on during the final days of World War Two. He doesn’t understand it all but its clear that they were testing some form of radiation poisoning on her to see if it could be used as a weapon. He’d seen firsthand what that could do to people and he felt sympathy for the young woman.  
“Okay so what’s this got to do with me?” He said gruffly, turning to the others.  
“We found references to this place in Strykers work.” Jean said touching a key in front of him. He caught her scent as she leaned down but ignored it.  
A map came up showing the southern borders of Germany. A spot on the map showed it to be near the base of some mountains.  
“I think we should go check it out. Find out what they were doing. Might give us some insight into Strykers work.” She said.  
“He’s dead.” Logan said, standing. “Don’t see how this would help.”  
“Logan.” The Professor said gently. “The team are going, please.”  
“Fine.” Logan agrees, throwing up his hands in defeat.

They landed near where they thought the Bunker was and scouted around. The first warning sign came when they noticed tire marks, no more than a month old, leading where they thought the bunker was.  
When they found the doors sure enough someone had kept the entrance clear of vegetation. Jean found a panel that powered the doors but it had been cut off. Logan and Beast prised the doors open and the dark passage inside, while clean and well-maintained, was empty and echoed their voices discomfitingly.  
They descended, Jean sweeping her senses wide for any sign of life. She said she felt nothing but Logan was on high alert. It smelt familiar here. Of shoe polish and medical equipment.  
They passed through a darkened garage, empty of cars and a control room with modern looking surveillance equipment.  
“Looks new.” Scott piped up.  
Logan swore he could hear something, a voice, far off and muffled. It seemed to rise and fall.  
They moved through offices and a breakroom that smelt of recent rot, more and more uneasy as they went. Jean and Beast stopped at a computer station, hoping they could get something from the hard drive.  
Scott and he split up and it wasn’t until he found the surgical station that he began to worry. It was modern, stainless steel with sterilised tools. The darkened lights above the table below brought back painful memories and he felt himself bare his teeth unconsciously at the restraints on the table below.  
“Scott.” He heard Jean call and listened to his teammates retreating footsteps as he returned to her. Alone in the dark he turned off the flashlight and listened.  
Again he heard the voice, closer now. He followed it to a small room with a desk facing a huge mirror. There were papers everywhere and he could smell blood. It didn’t take long to find the source. A man in his thirties as slumped behind the desk. He’d cut his wrists and a smile was still etched on his face. Logan guessed he’d been dead for a few weeks, no longer. Likely the bunker being closed off was why there were no flies. The man was facing the mirror and Logan approached it, turning off the flashlight again.  
The singing was coming from behind the glass.  
He tapped on it and the singing stopped. There was a moment of silence before a return tap echoed in the dark.  
“Logan.” A voice behind him made him jump. It was Beast, he looked disturbed. “We found something. They were still experimenting on someone here.”  
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure they’re behind this.” Logan said pointing at the glass. “Listen.” He tapped twice, louder this time and there was barely a pause before three loud taps sounded in reply.  
He followed Beast back to the others. Jean had managed to power up one of the computers, the glare from the screen was harsh in the dark as she clicked through different screens.  
“What does it say, Hank?” Scotts asked and the blue furred hulk leans closer to the screen.  
He clicks through several screens before stopping at one that seems to show a young woman lying on a gurney. She is restrained heavily and a black mask obscures her face. It has slits over the eyes and nose but not the mouth. Around the mask and training out behind her is long dark hair, greasy and unwashed.  
“It says here that she is not to be allowed outside of the cell unmasked at any time. Any attempt to communicate will be treated with hostility.” Hank says.  
Logan turns away to the dark. In the image her hands were in fists and the chords of her neck were raised. She was in pain. He felt himself sweating.  
“It looks like you’re right Logan, the cell appears to be behind that office.” Hank says turning from the screen. “It seems there’s someone in there.”  
“I can’t sense anything.” Jean protested.  
“Maybe the mask… dulls the signal?” Scott suggested. Logan turns and stalks off to find the entrance to the cell.  
The others catch up to him as he finds a room with shelves full of equipment, towels and plain white clothes, and various restraints. There is a door here, obviously thick and reinforced, but with a thick metal bar across it. It isn’t locked but someone inside would have to be very strong to get out.  
The singing has started again, faint but now the others can hear it. Logan reaches for the bar but Jean grabs his hand.  
“Wait! They could be dangerous!” She says and the singing stops.  
They all turn to the door. There are three sharp taps from the other side.  
“Can you hear us?” Jean calls. Two taps. She reaches out and touches the door. Logan can hear something new, sobbing.  
“We want to let you out but need to know you won’t attack.” She says. Two taps.  
Logan hears scrabbling in the room. The sobbing continues but sounds different, fainter.  
He reaches for the door and lifts the bar. It swings up easily on a mechanism. A child could have opened it from this side.  
He pulls the door and it opens silently, the smell from inside hits him and he can feel his claws push against his skin. Sweat and fear and desperation. The cell is empty but for a toilet and sink and a small cot pushed against the wall. The mirror is on the opposite wall to the door and he can see his own face before he notices the figure kneeling on the floor, her hands out in front of her, wrists together. She is dressed in stained white clothes, like a prison uniform. Her face is obscured by the mask from the images.  
He steps forward and can she she is shaking violently.  
“Come on, its alright.” He says softly but she doesn’t move. He reaches down and takes one of her hands, pulling her gently to her feet. The cell is cold and her skin is icy and deathly pale in the torchlight. She stands and looks into his face.  
She gives a muffled cry and stumbles away from him, pressing herself into the wall and sliding down to hide behind her legs, she’s shaking her head violently from side to side gripping her head.  
“Jean?” Logan says, backing away.  
“She’s scared, her mind is… its going to fast for me. We should get her back to the professor.” Jean replies. He approaches her again but she skitters away.  
She ties to stand but staggers and falls down.  
He scoops her up and she seems to swoon, going limp in his arms.  
They hurry out of the bunker and down the track to the jet.  
In the sunlight she is frail and he can feel her breath labouring in and out, wheezing through the mask.  
They settle her onto the medical gurney in the jet and Hank checks her over while they take off.  
“She’s malnourished.” He declares when he’s sure she’s stable. “Likely they left her there in the dark for a long time. It’s a miracle she didn’t starve.”  
“I got the hard drives, we’ll look it over later. Is she going to be okay?” Jean replies from her seat in the cockpit.  
“In time I think so.” Hank says, sitting down heavily in his seat across from Logan. “Are you okay?” He asks the grizzled man who looks haunted.  
“Let’s just get home.” He replies, staring at the floor.

She woke up on her back in a room she didn’t recognise. Not an unusual occurrence so she lay still counting her heartbeat until she reached 350, 5 minutes. If someone had realised she was awake they would have made a move by now.  
She was still in the mask but someone had washed her and changed her clothes. This treatment was so normal that she almost yelped when she realised she wasn’t retrained.  
Slowly she lifted her head. She was alone in a small room with metallic walls. Lying on a medical bed with an IV drip in her arm. A heart monitor was stuck to her chest but she’d gotten so good at controlling her body normally people didn’t bother with it. The last time she’d tried to get out of the Bunker her heartbeat hadn’t risen above 80.  
She was wearing a tank top in some soft stretchy grey material and some drawstring trousers made of the same thing.  
Across from her as a computer of some kind but the screens were blank and the chair in front of it was empty. She listened carefully but couldn’t hear anything so she slowly sat up. She felt better than she had, dehydration had started to set in. She’d rationed her water as best she could but had run out what had to be a few days ago. She’d reconciled with the fact that she was going to die in that cell and had gotten lost in her hallucinations.  
She crossed her legs and marveled at the feeling of being somewhat clean. She didn’t dare touch the matted mess that was her hair. Maybe the new people would cut it off, that would be best. They hadn’t removed the mask so they knew she was dangerous but they hadn’t restrained her so maybe there as a chance she’d get away this time, at least for a moment. She tried to remember what the sun looked like, the smell of the earth the sound of the wind but those memories had long since faded.  
The door opened and a pretty woman with long red hair came in. She hadn’t seen another woman in so long it made her do a double take. She wasn't in a uniform or a lab coat. She wore a lilac cardigan and blue slacks that hugged her hips. The woman noticed she was awake and looked shocked but not scared.  
“Hello.” She said, her voice was pretty and she smiled under the mask. It hurt, she hadn’t smiled in so long. “Can you understand me?” The woman asked and she nodded. “Can you speak?”  
She almost laughed. They didn’t know! She shook her head and pointed to the mask.  
“That stops you from speaking?” Lucky the eye slits wouldn’t show her eyes roll at that, she nodded. She held her hands up to the clasps, careful of the IV drip and hovered them there to show she was asking permission. The lady nodded and she unclipped the mask from the straps around her head. It came away easily, the feeling of the depressor leaving her mouth the same relief it had always been.  
She looked at the lady and smiled, blinking in the light. The red haired woman smiled back, she looked as if she was listening for something that she couldn’t quite hear.  
“Please sit down.” She said, her voice was rough from disuse but the familiar glazed look came over the woman’s face and she sat in the desk chair obediently. “What's your name?”  
“Jean Grey.” She replied.  
“That’s a pretty name, Miss Grey.” Jean smiled childishly. “Where am I?”  
“Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Children.”  
“And where is that?”  
“New York.”  
“What am I doing here?”  
“We’re going to help you get better. Find out if you’re a mutant, like us.”  
“Whats a mutant?”  
“Someone who has abilities that normal people don’t.”  
“I see.” She unhooked the IV carefully and took off the heart monitor. She slid her feet to the floor and stood carefully. “Miss Grey may I borrow your cardian?” Jean obediently slipped out of it and held it out. It was wonderfully soft and felt heavenly. “Thank you. And thank you for saving me from my cell. I’m going to leave now and you’re going to sit there and count your heartbeats for me. You need to count to 1400 beats. Do you understand?”  
“Yes.” Jean replied and began counting out loud quietly.  
She slipped out into the hall quietly and saw the elevator nearby. Before she got far someone opened a door behind her. She whipped around smiling only be confronted by a huge man covered in blue fur.  
“Hi there, you’re going back into that room because you lost your pen and you’re going to look for it for ten minutes. Understand?” She said quickly and his eyes glazed over before he could react.  
“Of course.” He said and retreated back into the room. She caught her breath and stood still for a moment to see if anyone else was going to pop out. She turned to the elevator and almost squeaked because there was a man there in a wheelchair He had a bald head and intelligent eyes.  
“Hi there sir!” She said quickly pasting a smile on her face. “If you don’t mind rolling back a little I need to get out of here.” She stepped forward, expecting him to move aside.  
“Extraordinary.” He said quietly. “Can you do that with everyone?”  
She panicked lashed out, kicking the wheelchair backwards and darting into the elevator. The doors closed and she felt her heart beat faster than it had for a long time. How did he do that? What was the other guy? No time.  
The doors pinged open and she darted out into a beautiful wood covered hall with gorgeous paintings in it. She turned around to find an exit but stopped dead at the sight of outdoors.  
She walked slowly towards the open window then ran, climbing through it and running through the flowerbed to the grass beyond.  
Tears pricked her eyes and she fell to her knees in the fading autumn sunlight. The wind in the trees the feel of the grass the smell of the air as it touched her face. She dug her fingers into the soil beneath her and began to cry. Rocking herself and weeping openly. She pulled at the straps still around her head for the mask but they wouldn’t move.  
“Are you okay, miss?” A child had walked up to her. He looked no older than twelve and clutched. She looked at him through blurred eyes and tried to smile. She turned back to the sun.  
“So pretty.” She said quietly.  
“Mr Logan is she okay?” She heard the child say and felt someone kneel next to her.  
“Miss? Come on back inside.” A gruff yet oddly familiar voice said and a warm rough hand on her arm. She shook her head. She looked up into deep brown eyes andher head swam.  
“James, did you find me after all?” She found herself saying and he looked confused. She shook her head and looked at the trees, two birds took flight and she was transfixed.  
He stayed with her until the others arrived. They hadn’t been able to convince Jean to stop counting or Hank to stop looking for something unseen for a long time.  
“Is it really over?” She asked not looking away from the slanting sunlight.  
“You’re safe here.” The Professor said and with a lot of coaxing they brought her inside to sit in a chair by the window in his office. They left her alone with the Professor and they sat together silently looking out for a long time.  
“My name is Professor Charles Xavier, this is my home.” He said when she seemed to relax. They’d given her a blanket and she wrapped it around herself protectively.  
“Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Children.” She muttered and he nodded.  
“Yes, that’s right. May I ask your name?” She turned to him.  
“Evelyn.” She said after thinking for a moment. “I’m Evelyn.”


	3. Returning to the world

She won’t say anything more, just sat transfixed by the window.   
The Professor left her there and found the others standing anxiously in one of the sitting rooms.  
“Her name is Evelyn.” He said to them. “She’s very… calm. At the moment but I don’t want to push her. She’s obviously been through a lot. I’m not sure she understands that we’re not going to lock her away.”  
“At least now we know why she was wearing that mask.” Hank said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like everything went away, I just wanted to please her, do what she wanted.” he rubbed his face. “Was it like that for you Jean?” She nodded.   
“I was trying to read her, but her mind is like… static. White noise. The second she spoke I wasn’t able to resist her.” Jean said and Scott took her hand. “The mask, it had a peice that looked like it pressed her tongue down.”  
“She hasn’t seen the sun for a long time.” Logan said, he was looking out the window his back to them. “I remember, Its…” He tailed off. “Can we help her?”  
“I think so but she needs time.” The Professor said.  
“I’ll look into those files we got. Maybe something will tell us who she is, where she’s from. I wonder how long they had her?” Hank said. “She can’t be more than thirty.”  
Suddenly they heard soft singing from the office. It was enchanting and sad.  
“I know that song.” Logan said.   
“Wow that’s old.” Added Scott. “I heard it in an old war movie.”  
“I’ll go check on her if you will excuse me.” Xaiver said turning in his chair and returning to the office. The singing stopped as soon as he opened the door.  
“How are you feeling, Evelyn?” He asked and she turned to him with a shy smile.  
“Okay.” She replied quietly.  
“What was that you were singing?” He asked.  
“Oh just a song I heard on the radio. It must be old now.” She replied and her smile faded. “How long has it-” She began, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. “What year is it?”  
“Are you sure you-” He began and she turned her eyes on him.   
“Please.” She breathed.  
“2015.”  
“Oh.” She said and tears began to fall down her face.  
“How long were you down there?” He asked and she shook her head.   
She refused to speak again that night and in the end Hank coaxed her to a room where she could sleep.

“There’s nothing to tell us how long she was there. The computer records only go back a couple of years.” Said Strom as Logan walked into the lab. THe white haired woman was pouring over the words on the screen in front of her. “As far as the people who wrote this were concerned. She’d always been there. There is one remark that she wasn’t getting older but that's it. There’s some pretty disturbing videos of them doing various experiments on her.”  
“What kind of experiments?” The Professor was sat nearby his hands folded in his lap.  
“They seemed to be giving her various poisons then performing surgery to see how it affected her organs. They never used anesthetic.  
“What?” Logan snapped.  
“Yeah, she’s awake and screaming the whole time.” Storm looked nauseous just thinking about it.  
“So they locked her up and tortured her because she can control people?” Scott said. He was stood behind Jean with his hand on her shoulder.  
“It’s more than that. I’m sure of it.” The Professor said. “I’ll speak to her when she’s rested and see if we can find out what they did and help her recover.”  
“If you can recover from that.” Logan muttered.

Evelyn woke up slowly, realising she was in a soft bed, larger than any she was used to. The covers were soft and she ran her hands over them over and over, enjoying the feel of it. She slid her feet onto the floor and curled her toes into the carpet. The room was well furnished with solid wood furniture. A bed, a desk with a cushioned chair, even a wardrobe. The walls were soft green and showed marks of things having hung there not too long ago.  
She got up and opened the deep green curtains a smile on her lips as she saw the dawn for the first time in what seemed like forever.  
She crept into the hall, listening carefully. She wondered until she found a bathroom. She was amazed by the clean white porcelain and the huge counter covered in cosmetics for men and women. She closed the door behind her and turned the lock.   
After using the toilet she stood and looked at her reflection. Her face looked much the same as it had, paler, but the same. She looked at her body, she’d never be bulky or muscular but she looked frail enough now she might snap. The men in the bunker had never fed her well and the last few weeks without food had taken its toll.  
What upset her most was her hair. She remembered combing and styling her hair long ago, taking pride in how soft and shiney it was. Now it was a mass of tangles and matted clumps that made her look crazy. She looked around and found a pair of scissors. She took a deep breath and started to cut it away. She couldn’t get it even but soon she had removed all but the last few inches of her hair and it felt good to feel the lank heap fall from her.  
She scooped up the mess and rammed it into the little bin in the corner and inspected her work. She looked oddly boyish with no curves to speak of and such short hair but she felt better.   
Working out the controls she stepped under the shower and experimented with the products she found there. She scrubbed until her skin was raw but signed at the feeling of being truly clean. She toweled herself off and climbed back into the odd soft clothes. Her stomach growled insistently and she set off to find something to eat.  
She found the stairs down and trotted down. The other occupants of the house seemed to still be in bed. The kitchen wasn’t hard to find, it was massive and she ran her hands over the countertops in awe. She approached the fridge and opened the door carefully, she’d only really seen them in magazines. Inside was packed with all sorts of food, some she didn’t even recognise. She found a carton of milk and set it on the counter before searching the cupboards. She found some things she knew, cans and jars of preserves, and grabbed something she’d missed. She found a bowl and filled it with corn flakes, pouring the milk over it carefully, like she had as a child, and returned the carton to its space in the fridge.   
“Hello?” She jumped at the voice and turned around. A beautiful woman with ebony skin and shocking white hair was stood in the doorway.   
“Hello! Sorry!” She said “No one said I had to stay in the room and I was hungry and-” She spouted, suddenly guilty.  
“Its okay, I’m Aurora. Most people call me Storm. Are you Evelyn?” The woman said and she nodded.  
“Ummmm… Where are the spoons?”   
The woman helped her find a spoon and she hopped onto one of the high stools next to the counter and slowly ate her food, trying not to moan at the taste of it. The woman, Storm, used an odd machine that seemed to continuously make coffee. When she noticed Evelyn looking she made two cups, added milk and sugar and slid one next to her. She sipped it curiously and the look of bliss that flooded her face made Storm’s heart swell for her.  
After finishing Evelyn stood and rinsed her bowl in the sink. She picked up the steaming cup and turned to Storm with a sunny smile. Her stomach was cramping a little from the food but she felt better for it.  
“Can I look around some more?” She asked, making sure not to meet her eyes.  
“Of course.”  
She wandered off and looked around the house. The living room was huge with a huge black screen mounted on the wall. The sofas looked comfortable and there were pillows scattered everywhere. Everything made her smile. She ran her hands over the books in a library, found several classrooms that smelt of chalk dust and even a room full of sports equipment.  
She opened the back door and breathed in the morning air.  
Stepping out onto a patio area she shivered slightly. She walked down the steps and sat on the bottom one finish her coffee, her toes curling in the dew covered grass. She closed her eyes and raised her head to the growing sunlight.   
The dark of the cell seemed so far away. She listened to the world around her, the trill of insects and the wind in the leaves. She heard someone behind her and turned. It was the man who’d come into her cell. He looked so much like someone she knew a far off memory of a man in uniform. He was wearing jeans, she was pleased she remembered the name, and a white undershirt. She admired the muscles of his arms and his dark chocolate eyes.  
“Morning.” He said and her memory stirred.  
“Good morning.” She replied and e joined her on the step sitting far enough away to make her comfortable.   
“How’d you sleep?” He asked and she closed her eyes lifting her chin to the light again.  
“Good, thank you. May I ask your name?”   
“Logan.” He said and something in her was disappointed.   
“Thank you for saving me.” She said and turned to him, careful not to meet his eyes. He smiled and she couldn't help but smile back. “I was down there for so long I forgot what the sun felt like.” She whispered but he heard her.  
“Glad to do it.” He replied and she turned back to the scenery, The trees and fields seemed to go on forever. In the distance there was an enormous dish pointed at the sky.  
“So what now?” She asked, running a hand through her now short hair.  
“What do you mean?”   
“Well, you came down into that place for something. I’m guessing it wasn’t me.” She stretched her arms. “What do you plan do with me now?”  
“Doo with you?”  
“Yes. You’ve probably worked out I’m not normal.” She said sadly, drawing her knees up and resting her chin on them.  
“No one here is.” He said and she turned her head to look at him shyly.   
“Not like me. I’m…” She tailed off. “Not really human, I guess.”  
“Nor am I.” She sat up and looked at him sharply. “No one here is. Remember Hank? Blue, furry?” She remembered the huge man from the day before and the man in the wheelchair that she couldn’t charm.  
“So… what are you?” She asked cautiously.  
“We’re mutants. We’re all different.” He said and the softness in his face spurred her on.  
“Different how?”  
He held his hand out in front of him, palm downwards and formed a fist. She gasped when three shining blades slid out between his knuckles. They were at least a foot long and razor sharp. She couldn’t help but reach out to touch them. She could feel his hesitation but he let her touch his hand, run her delicate fingers over where the blades emerged and over the smooth metal.   
“Careful.” He warned when she touched the sharp edge. Her fingertip came away bloody and she smiled holding it up for him to see as the tiny cut closed almost instantly leaving a thin line of blood. She slid the fingertip into her mouth and sucked the blood from it, watching dreamily as he withdrew the blades back into his arm. She was fascinated.  
“You heal.” He breathed. She nodded.  
“I think it’s why I’ve lived so long. I think i’m over a hundred. At least that's my guess.” She said quietly and his face darkened.  
His mind raced, something about her stirred memories in part of him that were locked away. He couldn’t put his finger on it but something was wrong.  
They heard wheels behind them and turned.   
“Miss Evelyn, I’m glad to see you up.” The Professor was there and she smiled at his serene face. She stood, brushing her legs.  
“Good Morning.” She said calmly, examining him closely.  
“Will you come with me please?” He asked and she nodded, following him back to the study she’d been in the day before.  
Logan watched her leave.

She sat in the same chair as before and he wheeled to sit next to her.   
“Miss Evelyn, how are you feeling today?” He asked and his kindly face softened her heart.  
“A little shaky but better.”   
“I see you cut your hair, does it feel better?” She self consciously touched her short locks and nodded. “I’m sure you have questions.”  
“Yes, ummmm…” She said looking at her bare feet. “So you’re a mutant?” She said and saw him nod in the corner of her vision. “Does that mean you’re different too?” She breathed.  
Yes  
The voice was undoubtably his but was in her head without her hearing it. Her head shot uo to look at him and he smiled.   
I’m telepathic. I can read people's minds and talk to them like this.  
Can you hear me?  
Yes.  
She touched her fingers to her lips. Some raw spot inside, the loneliness she’d felt for so long was easing. She wondered something.  
“Is that why… Is that why I couldn't…” She muttered into her hand. “Yesterday I tried to charm you, to make you leave but it didn’t work. Is this why?” She asked, lowering her hand.  
“I don’t know. Have you always been able to do that?”  
“Yes. I’ve never met anyone I couldn’t charm.” She sat back with a laugh.  
“How do you do it?”  
“I just do, I smile and meet their eyes and ask them to do something. They always do but I have to be specific.” She explained.  
“How so?”   
“Its like, if I told someone to stop moving I’d have to tell them to breathe or they’d stop and pass out. Or if I tell them to sit down I need to tell them to sit in a chair or they’ll just sit on the floor. It used to be harder, I had to be closer but…” She tailed off and she closed down, wrapping her arms around herself. She shook her head.  
“Maybe it would be easier if you show me.” He said holding out a hand to her. She looked at him, her eyes glassy but she took his hand.  
As their skin touched her whole life flickered across her mind.  
Its okay, breathe.  
She took a deep breath and the flow of memories calmed.   
Start where ever you can.

She was born to a wealthy family in Hampshire, England. Her mother had died before her fifth birthday trying to give birth to a baby brother they buried with her.   
Xavier saw the house she’d grown up in, a small manor house with beautiful gardens. Idyllic if lonely.  
She was never a shy child but everyone seemed to love her. She got away with anything she wanted until she’d gotten angry with a young man who was visiting. She told him to go jump off a cliff. He did. Luckily he survived but the village became scared of her, called her a witch.  
Her father became suspicious and realised that when she asked for something he felt he couldn’t resist. He began beating her whenever she made eye contact with him then. He called her a devil. She had to keep her eyes on her feet when around others. No visitors were permitted and she was tested by various priests who thought she might be possessed.   
She stopped smiling and eventually stopped talking.   
She felt the Professors pity and pulled away from the thought.  
Her father died when she was fourteen and an aunt had moved in to care for her. She encouraged her to begin speaking again and with a little careful practice she learnt how to talk to people without ‘charming’ them, as she called it. As puberty progressed she found that she could affect people around her without even speaking. A smile was all it took. People wanted to please her. Men came courting nearly every day until her aunt had threatened to send her to a nunnery.   
Her life was quiet, she didn’t leave the grounds or really talk to anyone. Her aunt was a ballet instructor and taught her to dance and so that was all she ever did.  
Then the war began. Bombs fell on the major cities and children were evacuated to the countryside. As they had a large home they took in many of them and she enjoyed caring for them. The younger children loved her bedtime stories and the older girls learnt to dance with her. They grew vegetables in the gardens and fed the whole village.  
She began sneaking out to the small pub in the village she loved music and even when all the young men left she still went just to enjoy the life around her. She had a few short lived boyfriends but after the third one was reported lost in action she closed her heart and stopped going out.  
Xavier smiled at her memories of the young men and she blushed and pushed away the thoughts of her first kiss and the first time she’d made love, fumbling in the dark.  
In 1943 some men in suits arrived at the door and asked to speak to her. Somehow they knew about her abilities and wanted to take her back to London. She refused, scared of what they wanted from her. They insisted so she charmed them and they left.  
More came back a month later. She charmed them again.  
A stray bomb fell on the village hall. She didn’t refuse the next time they came, the children chased the car down the road crying as she left with them.  
London was terrifying. So big and full of fear. She was taken to a big building where they tested her. They didn’t believe what she could do, thinking it some form of hypnosis, until she ordered one of the men to stand on his desk and scream until she told him to stop.  
They decided to send her to France, to the resistance. She’d learnt french as a child and spent the next few months mastering it. She was scared but every air raid made her more determined.  
She’d lived in isolation for so long the trip to Paris was almost too much for her. She arrived in late June 1944. She was captured three days before the D-Day landings.  
One of the resistance sold her to the Nazi’s to save herself. She remembered clearly the look on the young woman’s face.   
Xaiver got a glimpse of the bunker before she shut down, refusing to allow him to see more. She snatched her hand away.


	4. Settling in

The world came back and he saw her crying, rocking herself. It was hours before she would speak again and she spent the rest of the morning outside sat under a tree.  
Jean approached her cautiously at lunchtime with a small plate of sandwiches.   
“An I join you?” She asked sweetly. Evelyn was sat against the trunk of the tree with her eyes closed. She waved an arm and Jean sat down on the grass. “I brought you some food, I didn’t know what you liked so I brought a few different kinds.  
Evelyn opened her eyes and looked at the food, she picked out a cheese and ham sandwich and took a bite.  
“It’s hard, isn’t it, telling stuff like what happened to you. Brings it all back.” Jean hazarded. “I understand.”  
“Thank you for the food. And sorry for charming you yesterday.” Evelyn said, ignoring Jean’s empty words.   
“That's okay.” Jean smiled and Evelyn was tempted to charm her again, it had been too easy to slip between the cracks with the red-haired woman in front of her.   
“Tell me about yourself.” She asked, taking another bite.  
Jean told her everything her childhood in New York, the car crash that killed her friend, her being brought to the school, her relationship with Scott. She spoke about the rest of the team and how they met.   
“So you’re telekinetic?” Evelyn asked when she’d wound down.  
“Yes.” She replied happily.  
“And your boyfriend can shoot lasers?”  
“Yes.”  
“Hank’s a big blue gorilla and that woman, Storm, controls the weather?”  
“Yes.” Jean was getting more hesitant.  
Evelyn stood up suddenly.   
“This whole school is full of freaks like me but-” Her fists were clenched.  
“What’s wrong?” Jean asked.  
“Why was I locked down in the dark when you all got to live in the light.” She growled.  
“Hey! It’s not like that, not all of us got to live like this.” Jean stood, defensive. Before she could say another word Evelyn turned around, smiling and met her eyes.  
“Leave me alone.” She said. Jeans mind went blank and she found herself walking away from the tree. She regained control when she was back inside.  
Scott emerged from one of the classrooms to find her stood in the hall, holding back tears.  
“Whats wrong?” He wrapped his arms around her.  
“I saw it Scott!” She whimpered.  
“Saw what?” He pulled back, wiping her face awkwardly with the sleeve of his shirt.  
“I saw what’s in her head!”

“You can’t do that you know.” Logan stood next to her and she opened her eyes to glare at him from her spot under the tree. “Mess with people.”  
“It’s not like it hurt.” Evelyn replied bitterly.  
“Not the point.” He said looking down at her. She sighed and leant forward over her crossed legs.  
“Its hard, you know. I don’t get to talk to anyone properly in fifty years and now everyone just wants to talk and talk and talk.” She smiled to herself. “Plus you’re all yanks. I’m used to German.”  
“Not all of us.” He said leaning against the tree. She looked up at him.  
“Oh and where are you from, Mr Logan?”  
“Canada.” He smirked. That smile again, like a ghost. She drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.  
“I’ll apologise.” She said.   
“Hey are you okay?” He noticed the change in her.   
“Yes, please just let me be alone this is too… difficult.” She said, muffled by her legs.  
He left her alone.  
That night she apologised to Jean and promised not to use her abilities again.

The weeks slid past and she grew stronger every day. Storm and Hank helped her fill in the blanks about what happened after the war. She mingled with the students who found her to be an easy companion. The kids especially liked her.   
On the third day she found the dance studio and Logan caught her doing a flowing dance to a song she was humming to herself. She’d blushed when she caught him watching. She danced every day afterwards, even teaching some of the students. Her muscled became more defined each day and the steady diet of good food was returning her curves.  
The professor wasn’t able to convince her to tell him about the bunker but he gave her the space she wanted. She needed more time.  
A month into her stay she walked out onto the patio in the evening where Logan was stood smoking.  
“Can I try that?” She asked. He pulled the tube from his lips and looked at it for a moment before handing it to her. She put her lips around it and inhaled briefly with her eyes closed. In the light from the windows he caught himself looking at her. Her hips were more rounded now and her breasts looked fuller. She’d taken to wearing leggings and t-shirts with a shirt over the top. It was comfortable and allowed her the freedom of movement she needed to dance. She preferred to be barefoot, one of the students had painted her toenails red.   
She blew a thin plume if smoke up to the sky. He’d expected her to cough and splutter but her breathing was even as she handed it back. She leant against the railing quietly. He put the cigar to his lips and was at once struck by the taste of her on it.   
“The Professor thinks I should leave the school tomorrow.” She said, turning slightly to look at him. “Can I?” She motioned at the cigar and he passed it to her again, watching her lips as she drew on it again.  
“Where does he want you to go?” He asked trying not to stare at her too much.  
“‘The Mall’ with Jean and Aurora. They want me to go shopping, pick out some clothes.” She replied handing the cigar back.  
“Not interested in shopping?” He asked, raising his eyebrows at her. She smiled and looked down into the flowerbed.  
“It wasn’t really the done thing when I was young.” She said, the shirt around her shoulders had slipped and hung around her elbows. She looked young enough to be a student but she was the second oldest person in the building.  
“You might like it, most women do.” He drew on the cigar and wordlessly passed it back to her. She savored the taste of it, mingled with the smell of him. He was easier company than most of the others. He never expected her to talk.  
“Maybe.” She said and he turned to her. She smiled and he was drawn to her mouth again. She wordlessly handed him the cigar and left.  
He was left with the taste of her and a haunting memory of her lips.

Evelyn found the Shopping Centre overwhelming. The women took her to so many stores it was overwhelming. One for underwear, another for shoes, yet another for dresses. People everywhere.   
She sat on a bench waiting for the ladies to come out of the bathroom and was pleasantly surprised to see a young couple kiss and walk hand in hand. The thought struck her that all it would take was a smile and that young man would kiss her as well. The smile died on her lips.  
They took her to the food court where she fell in love with the fries and soda.  
“Evelyn?” Jean said to catch her attention. She looked up at the red haired beauty.  
“Yes?”  
“You haven’t bought much. Are you worried about money, The Professor doesn't care how much you spend you know.” She took a sip of her own drink.  
“It’s odd to me. When I was young we made our own clothes. You bought fabric and a pattern and made it yourself.” She said and her conions looked amazed. “I had a whole box of Butterwick patterns, including the one for my mother's wedding dress. I’m pretty sure they’d be worth a lot of money now.” She looked at the three measly bags of clothes she had, most of which was simple things.  
“Has it all changed a lot?” Aurora asked.  
“Yes but in a lot of good ways. You can buy stockings now, when I left England women were resorting to dying their legs with coffee grounds to make it look like they were wearing them.” She laughed. “Wearing trousers is nice too, and the fabrics now are so soft and comfortable. Oh and the shoes!” Her companions grinned. “Women just didn’t wear that sort of thing yet those beautiful glitzy things, I’m amazed you can walk in them at all.”  
“Most of us can’t.” Admitted Jean.  
They laughed at that and Evelyn felt like some small measure of a bridge had formed between her and the younger women.  
“Jean, can I ask you something?”   
“What?”  
“I know you’re with Scott. He’s your boyfriend.” Jean nodded. “Then why do you and Logan look at each other like that?” Jean nearly swallowed the straw from her drink while Aurora laughed hard enough to snort.  
“What do you mean? Look at each other like what?” She demanded.  
“Like…” She tried to articulate what she wanted to say. “You’d have rather saved the last dance for him?”  
“Awwww!” Aurora looked touched.  
“I do not!” Jean nearly shouted.  
“You do.” Evelyn replied calmly.  
“Well so do you!” Jean accused.  
“I was in a cage for seventy years. What’s your excuse?” Aurora thought she’d die laughing.  
Jean refused to talk to either of them again until they got back in the car.  
“Look, Evelyn-” She said turning to her.  
“Look I get it, I shouldn’t have pryed. I’m sorry.” Evelyn looked amused but contrite.  
“I do love Scott.” She said.  
“I get that. But Logan is…”  
“Yeah.” Jean sighed and they giggled.


	5. Breathe

When they got back to the mansion Evelyn admitted to herself it was nice to put something in the drawers of her room. To return the clothes she’d borrowed in favor of her own.   
It was a saturday so the students would be lounging all over the place but she knew she’d get some peace outside as the days were turning colder.  
She pulled on her new running clothes and sneakers and headed down. On her way down she passed Logan watching TV with a beer in his hand.  
“Running again?” He asked.  
“Feels good, plus I’ve got to build myself back up.” She said pushing some wayward hairs out of her face.  
“Doesn't sound good to me.” He said, frowning.  
“Youth doesn't last forever, got to keep fit.” She said and walked out the back door. She started slow but picked up the pace. After one lap of the grounds she noticed Logan had come outside to watch her. She stopped, pantling lightly.  
“Come to see how its done?” She said and he smiled and rubbed his nose.  
“Something like that.” He said.  
“Feel free to join me, if you think you can keep up.” She said and started down the track again.  
After a while she realised he was a few paces behind her but she didn’t slow. He kept up with her for three laps before he started to slow. She turned and smiled.  
“You gonna let a hundred year old lady beat you?” She panted and he growled, speeding up to run next to her.  
Quickly it devolved into a race, each trying to outpace the other until at last she separated from him he stopped, bending over and gripping his knees. She stopped and turned, panting just as hard.  
“I knew I could run rings around you!” She laughed and he eased upright, raising his arms. She looked around, they were on the far side of the grounds and could only distantly hear the house at all. Most of the threes were nearly bare of leaves and the wind smelled of ice.  
“Fine, you win.” He admitted and she smiled. She looked around her again and he charged forward, grabbing her around the waist and lifting her over his shoulder. She shrieked as he carried her for a fair way before she began kicking him.  
“Put me down!” She called and he stopped leaning forward to let her slip off his shoulder, steadying her around the waist. She was giggling and didn’t notice how close they were standing until he fell still.  
He was intoxicated with the feel of her in his arms. She was soft and even though she was sweating she smelled amazing. She was so close it wouldn’t take much to close that distance.  
“Logan.” She breathed, a hand on his arm and the other on his chest. She could feel his heart beating. “I-” She started but he leant forward and touched his lips to hers.  
The gentle kiss opened some unseen door in his mind and his jaw clenched and his hands gripped her too hard. She gasped and tried to pull away. HIs face was tight in front of her and she wriggled against his grip as a growl rose in his throat, some sound of denial from deep inside him.  
She kicked free and sprawled on the ground as he gripped his head and fell to his knees, roaring in pain as images flickered behind his eyes. His claws ran out and she looked around her in panic. There was no one around and she couldn’t be sure anyone would hear her from here.  
Professor! She screamed in her head, pushing away from the madman pulling at his hair and shaking his head.  
We’re sending help, you need to try and calm him. Came the reply. She shook her head and swallowed, raising to her feet but not above a crouch.  
“Logan?” She said, her voice cracking as the inched closer. “Logan, I need you to look at me.” She reached out, her hands shaking, and touched his right hand trying to pull it away from his head. “Come on, its okay.” She tried to soothe and his eyes flew open.   
Before she could smile and charm him he struck, buring the blades of his left hand through her abdomen. She felt them all the way through and gasped, her legs collapsing in front of her. She forced a smile on her lips and met his vacant gaze with eyes blurred by tears.  
“Logan, I-” She began but he jerked his hand making her yelp. She kept eye contact and reached for him, cupping his face with both hands. “Logan.” She said forcefully and felt the connection slip into place. “I need you to calm down, just breathe in and out with me, okay.”   
The muscles in his face relaxed a little under her hands and she coaxed him to breathe deeply with her for a moment.  
“Oh god!” A shriek behind her. Logan tensed again but she didn’t turn didn’t break her hold on him.  
“Eyes on me!” She ordered and he dropped back under her control. “It’s just our friends, you remember. They’re here to help.”  
A footstep behind them and he jerked, she gasped from the pain, aware that she was bleeding heavily but didn’t dare look down.  
“Stay back!” She snapped. “Logan, they’re going to stay away for a moment. It’s just you and me right now. Do you understand?” The pause before he responded seemed to last forever.  
“Yes.” He said.  
“Good, now put your right hand round me, pam flat on my back. I need you to hold me up okay?” She instructed and he wrapped his arm around her, the support made it easier to concentrate. “Well done. Okay now I need you to breathe in through your mouth and out through your nose, slowly okay? I’m going to talk to our friends while you do that, don’t stop, don’t move anything else until I say, do you understand?”  
“Yes.”  
“Good.” She said her head was swimming but she saw him follow her instructions. “Jean, is that you?” She called behind her.   
“Yes, Scott’s here too.” Jean replied softly.  
“Great, now I need to get him to relax enough I can make him sleep. When I do you need to carry him back to the house but I need to stay where he could see me if he wakes up. I don’t know how long I can keep him under for. Got that?”  
“But-” Jeans voice was quavering.  
“I said have you got that!” She yelled.  
“Yes! We’ve got it.” Scott replied.  
“Good. Well done Logan, you’re doing so well.” She turned her attention back to him, his muscled had relaxed now and his gaze was softer now. “I need you to retract your claws, do it slowly okay?”  
“Yes.” She whimpered as she felt the blades retreat from her skin. When they finally left her entirely she nearly collapsed but kept control as the pain began to recede.  
“That was great, you did so well. You’re really tired now, you’re just going to go to sleep for a while. When you wake up you’ll be somewhere safe. Go on now its time to sleep.” He slumped in her grip and fell against her. She turned her head and saw Jean had tears running down her face, Scott was holding her tight.  
“Come on we need to get him back to the house.” She said weakly.  
Scott stepped forward and slug one of Logan’s arms around his shoulders and heaved him to his feet. Evelyn stood, weak but alive, her shirt was drenched in blood but the wounds had already closed.  
She walked backwards in front of Scott as they carefully made their way back to the house. As they got close Hank appeared and took Logan’s other arm. With every step Evelyn felt stronger again.   
Logan didn’t rouse and they took him to his room. She stayed with them until he was lying on the bed and made sure she was the last one out and closed the door softly.  
She quickly went to her room and stripped off the bloody clothes pulling on a soft tee and some pajama bottoms. Someone knocked the door and she opened it warily. She stood back to let the Professor enter.  
“I think he’ll be okay when he wakes up.” He said as she sat down heavily on the bed. “How are you?”  
“Tired.” She said.  
“What happened?” He asked and she flinched.  
“I don’t know. We- We kissed and he just-” She rubbed her face with her hands. “Did I do that to him. Will anyone I kiss do that?” She said, muffled.  
“I don’t think so, his mind was a mess. Logan’s memories are painful to him. You must have reminded him of something.” She lowered her hands and nodded.  
“I need to sleep.” She said. “I heal quick but I still lost a lot of blood.”  
“Okay sleep well.” He said leaving her alone with her thoughts.  
What could Logan have remembered to hurt him like that, turn him into something feral.  
She lay down and tried to sleep. Nothing worked even the breathing exercises she’d used in her cell. Every time she closed her eyes she remembered the feel of his hands on her and of a man so long ago.


	6. Remember

Eventually she sat up with a curse. It was dark now and the house had settled, likely everyone was asleep or at least in their rooms. She slipped downstairs and looked through the kitchen, eventually finding what she wanted, Logan’s beer stash. It was warm but she didn’t care. She pulled a blanket from one of the couches and walked out to the patio. She sat on one of the benches and opened one of the cans. She took a swig and looked out at the darkened landscape.  
After the first can the tears began to fall. She opened the next and drank it quickly. Stifling a sob.  
“Evelyn?”  
She swore and looked up. Logan was stood in the doorway, He’d changed into sweatpants and a white tank that glowed in the moonlight. She swore and turned away.  
He came closer and every sense she had was aware of him.   
“I woke up and I had blood on my hands. I remember.” He said and she took a drink from the can. “I’m sorry I-”  
“Its okay!” She blurted. “I didn’t know that would happen.”   
“It’s not okay,” He crouched down and tried to meet her eyes. She turned away. “I hurt you.”  
“I’ve had worse.” She tried to joke.  
He sat down next to her. They sat in silence for a moment.  
“I remember you.” He said.  
“I was just trying to calm you down, I’m sorry I charmed you.” She leant forward and rested the can on her knee.  
“I didn’t mean that. I-” He started again and she stood.  
“Look, I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m sorry.” She tried to leave but he closed his hand around her wrist and looked up at her face, wet with tears.  
“You were an angel. But just for one night.” He said and her legs nearly gave way.  
“What?” She breathed.  
“You wore a red dress. You wanted to ‘walk on the wild side’.” He smiled.   
“Are you wild, James?” She whispered and sat down next to him. “It’s really you? I thought- I thought you might be related or something. How?”  
“I heal too. I’m- I- I- was born in 1880.”  
She was speechless.   
“I looked for you. After the war. No one knew who you were or where you’d gone.”  
“You found me in the end.” She whispered.  
“Yeah.” He said and he linked his fingers with hers. “It hurts to remember things after- After what they did to me.”  
“Did what?”  
“They experimented on me, made me a weapon, took away who I was.” He looked down and she touched his cheek.  
“So I wasn’t the only one screaming in the dark.” She said, smiling sadly.   
“No. I guess not.”   
They sat like that for a while and she let her hand fall to her lap.  
“I didn’t charm you, that night.” She said and he turned to face her again. “I was amazed, you- thats why I took you into the dark, I needed to know you wanted me without my stupid powers interfering.”  
“I did.”   
“I should have stayed, told you who I was. What I was.” She felt a tear fall from her eye and he wiped it away with his thumb.  
She shivered, not entirely because of the cold.  
“I should have told you too.” He said and she smiled. “What were you doing that night?”  
“I was headed to Paris in the morning. I was going to help the resistance, maybe seduce some Nazi into telling me their plans.” She said and he touched her lips lightly with a finger. “I wanted to remember what it felt like to be with people who didn’t know what I am. I wanted to listen to music and have a drink, maybe even dance.”   
“We danced.” He said. “And I don’t dance.” She laughed softly at him.  
“What happened to you?”  
“I was at D-day, I was a paratrooper.”  
“Mud, blood and madness.” She said.  
“Yeah.”  
Silence fell between them again. He chuckled and she knotted her brow at him. “That song, the one we danced to.” She laughed then.  
“We’ll meet again…” She sang softly. She smiled and met his eyes, there was heat in them.  
“Miss Evelyn, I’d like to kiss you again. If you’ll permit me?” He said courteously.  
“Are you sure that’s wise, Mr Logan from Canada?” She replied as he leaned closer.  
“Nothing I ever do is.”   
She let him close the distance and closed her eyes as he kissed her. Tension left as he began to move his mouth against hers and she reciprocated, her heartbeat rising as his arm slid around her waist to pull her closer. She ran her hand through his hair as he gently parted her lips.  
He was lost in the feel of her, the taste of beer on her tounge and the smell of her. When she sighed he growled in reply and held her tight against his chest. The years melted away and he remembered how she’d felt that night and how much he wanted her again.   
He carefully pushed her back onto the bench and lay on top of her, leaning on his forearm so he didn’t crush her. She slid her hand under his vest and lifted her leg to hook over his hip. She could feel him growing against her and gasped as he ground against her. He pulled back from her lips and looked into her face. Her eyes were hooded and her lips swollen and shining. Both of them were breathing heavily.  
He pushed against her and she moaned softly, arching her back and baring her neck to him. He remembered how she’d reacted to his attentions to her throat before and lowered his head to kiss and suckle at the sensitive skin there.  
She tried to move to shift her hips but felt trapped by the bench. He noticed her restless movements and tried to shift so she could move but they just rolled onto the floor.  
She laughed as they lay in a tangle.  
“The tree was easier.” She said. He looked up and raised an eyebrow at her.  
“Plenty of trees.” He said and she pinched him playfully.   
“Maybe a bed this time?” She suggested and he kissed her again, scooping her up from the floor and carrying her into the house.   
They fumbled in the dark until reaching his door and she managed to open it for him as his hands were busy relearning her body.  
He lay her on the bed and immediately covered her body with his. She tugged at his vest and he sat up to pull it over his head. She bit her lip at the sight of him. She’d imagined how he would look but this was better. Muscle and tan skin with thick curling hair running downwards to disappear under his straining pants.   
He crooked a finger to coax her up and she let him pull her shirt over her head. His eyes darkened at the sight of her bare chest and bent his head to explore her breasts, pressing her back onto the bed.   
She stifled a moan as he kneaded each globe with rough hands and her back arched as he took one of her nipples into his mouth. She couldn’t stand it anymore and began pulling at the waistband of his sweats, sliding a hand in to cup his manhood. He groaned and pushed against her.  
“No underwear?” She panted and he looked up to smile at her.  
“Problem?” He said arching his brow. She shook her head.  
“The rest.” She said and he hooked his thumbs into his waistband and pulled, freeing himself and standing clear of her.  
She pulled at her own clothes, unable to concentrate with him watching. He replaced her hands with his own and with one sharp tig her pajamas and panise were gone.   
He gave her a predatory look and she pushed herself up the bed away from him teasingly. He crawled towards her and pushed her legs apart smoothly, laying over her. He pushed against her slick folds and she cursed, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close so he slid slowly into her.  
He was bigger than she remembered and her breath caught as her body moved to accommodate his girth. When he began to move, sliding in and out of her slowly, she thought she’d break from the feel of him.   
He sat back, running his hands over her thighs and drinking in her reaction as he lazily thrust into her, lifting her hips so he could push deeper. He knew he’d found that sweet spot when she arched her back again, groaning and pawing at the sheets.  
She wrapped her legs a around him and rolled her hips back into him with each thrust until they were both panting. He felt himself getting close to the edge and fell forward capturing her lips and linking one of her hands with his as he snapped his hips into hers again and again until she gasped and dug her nails into his back. He felt her body clench around his and he lost all control, driving himself into her until he came inside her with a muttered curse.  
He kissed her hard and rolled to the side, leaving her body but pulling one of her legs over him. She lay, dazzled in the crook of his arm. Eventually opening her eyes to find him sleeping, one hand still linked with hers. She settled against him and sighed drifting into sleep.


End file.
